My Old Youth Pastor...

...hits the big time!

Tom Mercer and High Desert Church Rocks!

When I was in Jr. High, our little Conservative Baptist church, Foothill Baptist on 15th Street in Upland, got a new Youth Pastor. Tom Mercer had longish hair, a mustache, drove a white Camaro with orange stripes and played Larry Norman tunes on his guitar in Sunday School. He took the High School group and grew it into the largest in the area. He developed "Power Unlimited" (PU to us!), a youth choir of about 100 teens that also did drama, and then took them on the road. We "toured" every summer and spring.

Tom taught the Bible. Pretty in depth on Wednesday nights. He was cool, hip, a bit radical but not too far over the edge. Was always on the cutting edge with ideas...or at least very near the edge. Looking back, I'm surprised at some of the stuff that he got approval for. We had a very straight-laced congregation and Deacon board. The Pastor at the time was open to Tom's way of doing things and as far as I know, really didn't call Tom on the carpet too much although I wasn't privy to staff meetings.

(I became a avid Wittenburg Door reader because of Tom and even stole a subscription form from a copy of the magazine he had laying around the office.)

Tom eventually left Foothill and accepted the Senior Pastorate at High Desert Baptist church in Victorville. Several of his old youth leaders followed him and the church has grown immensely. HDC is what church is in the 21st. Century. Much different than what I grew up with. Much different. I would like to visit one day...

Eric

Emergent/Emerging

Confusing terms to say the least. My church recently held a 3 day seminar by Brian Flynn, a former TM disciple and Roger Oakland of Understand The Times regarding Contemplative Prayer and the Emerging Church. Some very interesting information came out of that conference but I'll let you click on the link and discover for yourself what they are. (Think "old wine in new wine skins" and the thought that the Devil simply repackages used goods!)

I've been attracted to the concept of an open conversation about the state of Christianity in the Western World of late and it seems the Emerging Church Movement has tapped into something along those lines. I also like the concept of missional thinking. In other words, I don't have to go to the Darkest Africa to spread the gospel. There is a culture in my own backyard that has no clue of God, Jesus or the Gospel. But I was confused. I'd heard things, things which smacked of liberal, moral-relativistic ideas within the ECM. The use of icons and incense to enhance worship (which begs the question, "When will the enhancements become what is worshipped instead of what they were supposed to be focusing your thoughts on?")

So, I went to Stand To Reason and found this little gem from Brett Kunkle.

Read them and see if there is not a concern about the leaders of the Emergent church and their influence on the Emerging church.

Eric